The Covenant of Tamriel
by Starspike7
Summary: Rose was a young woman who is forced to grow up quick when strange men kidnap her father. Now, she will travel a marvelous journey to rescue him but first she has to go to the Mage's college and hone her skill. Baldar is a proud Kahjiit that has dug his own grave and only wishes to atone for his past sins. To do this, he seeks redemption by helping the young Rose in her quest.
1. My New Stalker

**Rose:**

_It's so cold_, she thinks while shivering as she trudges forward, keeping her head down. Her eyes squint through the darkness and she wraps her arms around her torso in an attempt to become warm. Her dress sways in the icy breeze of the night, the ugly, old yellow material flowing behind her feet. The locks of her hair flail behind her, whipping above her head like vicious snakes.

She presses her dry, pale pink lips together as she raises her watery eyes. Her chest clenches, a lump forming in her throat as she struggles not to lose it. She tightens her grip of her arms almost painfully. The direness of the situation finally sinking in as she continues to march forward. She reaches up her hands to breathe her warm breath into them, rubbing them together. Her fingertips are red, her cheeks are flushing and her nose tinted pink.

Her body tenses up and her feet halt at the sudden sound of a cough from the left side of the path near the mountain. Chills run up her spine and not just from the cold, worry tightening in the pit of her stomach. Her nervous eyes shoot towards the noise and she sees a man laying on the side of the rode in his own blood, a smoldering torch in one hand and a journal in the other.

The girl hesitates, eyes flashing with ambivalence for a moment. Then she swallows the lump in her throat, swiping away at the tears threatening to spill from her orbs. Before she can change her mind, she follows her morals and quickly runs towards the limp figure and kneels down, searching his face. It's not a man at all, it's a Khajiit.

He's a burnt orange with black stripes and has dreads that are tied at the end with golden ringlets. As for his clothes, he isn't wearing any but his has a pouch tied to the belt of his undergarments. He's lean and has lacerations, bruises, and scrapes covering his body like he's fallen off the mountain.

Concern etches across the blonde's features, she remembers a healing spell that she read about and hasn't mastered, but knows quite well. She rubs her hands together, blowing some warm air into her freezing, trembling hands as she can barely hold them still, then places them on his chest.

Her hands glow a soft, light orange as it slowly spreads through his torso. It takes a bit, but his wounds eventually seal up and the corners of her lips turn up at the sight of her success. A victorious gleam in her eyes shines briefly before worry fills them once again.

He's healed, but he'll catch a disease or flu in the middle of the cold night if she doesn't find them shelter. Her healing doesn't extend that far as to heal any virus's running through his veins.

Before she can react, the Khajiit's eyes shoot open and he has pinned her to a tree. His hand is the full size of her neck and he's using that to slowly constrict her. His eyes begin drifting up and down her body as he spoke.

"Female, young, Nordic father and Breton mother, mage. Why are you here?" His eyes glances at the crest that held her cloak on. "Helgen."

Fear and confusion strikes in her eyes at the fast movement and it takes her a moment to catch up to the situation, but when she does she claws at his hand. "Let me _go_!"

He places one of his hands on her cheek and runs it up to her forehead and she immediately calms from her frantic action. "Calm, I will not hurt you if you do not struggle."

"I just wanted to help you," she explains, still looking worried as she eyes the sharpness of his claws. "You had many cuts and wounds and I-I just helped! I-I swear I wasn't doing anything else!"

He lets her go and she drops with a _thud_ to the ground, she fumbles to her feet while brushing herself off with a cautious glance in his direction, taking a few steps back. "Well, thank you." He reaches into his pouch and begins pulling out clothes too big to fit within the pouch and puts them on. Soon, he's clothed in a orange tunic, ragged brown pants, foot wraps, and a cloak of his own.

"You're welcome," she mutters, staring at him with big eyes as she hugs herself, slightly shivering as she stands there. It's silent for a moment, then reluctance stretches on her face, like he can attack her at any moment. She asks quietly, "can I… ask what happened? You looked like you've been pushed off a cliff."

His head shoots up and he looks at her with a comically confused look. "I fell off a cliff?"

Her eyes widen a little when she realizes how much it sounds like she has insulted his appearance. The last thing she wants to do is be in his tight grip again where he can easily snap her neck. She averts her eyes and swallows nervously. "N-no, I uh- I meant you _look_ like you have."

"Well, I don't remember." His ears drift off in different directions like he's trying to hear someone tell him what happened but he ends with a shrug and picks up his torch and journal. "Maybe this can tell me something." He begins flipping rapidly through the book and scanning the pages. Unsure of what to do, she just waits for him to read it, body shuddering from the cold.

He throws the book behind him and it hits the tree and then bounces onto her, causing her to jump and fumble with the book as she catches it. "Nothing. Not one thing."

"A-are you sure?" She stammers, opening the journal and skimming what's written there. Something that seems like a lover's note, but hardly anything else. She blinks and looks back up to see he's lighting the torch again. She frowns, forehead creasing as she searches his feline features. "… do you not remember _anything_?" She questions bravely, taking a step back just so he can't snatch out his claw or something. Though she has a feeling that won't stop him.

He turns to her and scratches his head thinking. "_Wait_, I think I am remembering something. I… I'm… I'm hungry."

"Oh…" She says distantly, but then her eyes widen in realization. "_Oh_!" she jolts to life, taking steps back. "_Please_ don't eat me! Really, I am nothing but skin and bones, you wouldn't want me."

He turns to her and reaches into his pouch. "Don't run. I have this." He quickly pulls something out causing her to yelp and trip as she takes a step backward and begin to cower. "Don't like bread?" He asks with his head cocks to the side.

"Oh…" she stares sheepishly the longer she gazes at the food in his furry palm. Her cheeks tint pink and she stands back up, brushing herself down before cautiously taking the bread from his hand. "_Oh…_ um… thank you."

He breaks a couple branches off a tree and then kneels down next to it and speaks some words in a hushed tone. The flame from his torch reaches out and takes hold of the branches. soon, they're sitting at a cozy flame as the darkness creeps in.

She gasps, excitement and curiosity over-taking her caution. "Oh my-!" she kneels down beside him, staring at the fire as the flames dance in the reflection of her wide fascinated eyes. "You know magic?"

He reaches into his bag and sticks some venison he pulls out of it on a stick and begins roasting it. "Apparently, I do. What did that note say in my journal?"

"Didn't you read it?" She asks in surprise as she squats by the fire, attempting with all her might to absorb as much heat as she can.

He scratches the back of his head. "Apparently not that language anyway. I think I can read one called… Dwemeris?"

"I'm not Dwemeris." She tells him, chewing on the bread while leaning closely to the warm fire. The vibrant, orange glow shines on her as she bathes in the warmth.

He laughs and sits back in his seat. "No, I can read a language called elvish. I wasn't calling you Dwemeris. You are Breton."

"I think you're mistaken, Khajiit," she says, eyes clouding in confusion. "I'm but a Nord, as are my mother and father."

He lets another laugh and he stuck the stick in the ground over the fire and then took a seat. "No, I may not remember much but I remember races and what they look like when together. Your father was Nord but your mother was Breton. Why do you think you have pointed eyes like an elf or do not a chin that is carved of stone like Nords?"

She looks angry at being laughed at and made a fool of, eyes narrowing into slits. "You're lying! My father told me my mother was a Nord! I am _Nord_, not _Breton_!"

He shrugs and pulls another piece of bread out of his pouch and begins snacking on it. "You can choose to accept that you were born for magic or that you are not. Makes no difference to me. So, what did the note in the front say?"

"Read it yourself." She snaps irritably, marching over to the other side of the fire and plopping down, scowling as she reaches out her hands and warms her palms. Her eyes set on the fire, mouth pouting slightly as if a naughty child not getting what they want. But really, confusion is mixing with deep thought.

He shrugs and picks up his Journal off the ground from where she was sitting and slips it in his pocket. "Okay, I will find someone at the first town we visit."

"What do you mean _we_?" she scoffs, hugging her arms to herself tighter.

"You saved me, ergo I stick with you until I have saved your life." He seems to have a genuine smile on and then he pulls some of the venison off the meat that was cooking and ate it. "How is your bread?"

She turns her head to the side, averting her gaze from his, grunting a response before saying, "I didn't ask you to follow and protect me."

"You are a young girl. Worse, you were willing to help someone you meet on the side of the road. Not knowing who he is or if he is a killer. That alone dictates me to follow you to at least the next town."

"I was following my morals." She mutters, still seeming a little annoyed. "I don't need to be mother henned. I'm fine on my own." There isn't a lot of confidence in her voice, despite how strongly she wants put it across she can protect herself.

He shrugs and pulls a small knife from his pouch and begins cutting his bread, when she catches sight of the knife, she stiffens slightly. "More of Guardian Dedra than a hen."

"I can fight for myself," she stands determinedly, an irked expression flashing across her face as she turns and starts marching down towards the road with a sneer, stepping over her dress. She wants to prove she can survive on her own. _She doesn't need a stupid cat person to protect her anyway._ "I don't even need this fire! Nords can stand the cold! I'm going to prove that I _am_ a Nord!"

"No, stop, don't go. How will I ever catch you?" He calls halfheartedly in a mocking tone.

"You _won't_!" She shouts, turning her head to the front as she mumbles, "Pfft, stupid Khajiit. Save _my_ life? I saved _his_ life! I don't need-" She gasps and halts in her step before she can crash into the person suddenly in her path.

The Khajiit is in front of her holding the bread with the venison and lettuce in between the two halves. "You're not as fast as you think."

"But-! you-?" she glances behind her, looking perplexed. Her cheeks flush in frustration but she huffs stubbornly, walking passed him while shoving his shoulder.

His foot steps followed behind her and she heard him eating his sandwich. "You know, a girl your age is ripe pickings for a Hammerfell slaver. Or worse a bandit… _cuddle girl._"

"I can defend myself just _fine_," she crosses her arms, picking up the pace.

"Then where am I?"

"What are you talking about? You're right-" she turns her head briefly, expecting him to be walking behind her. She stops walking when he's vanished and blinks in surprise, mouth opening. "What the…"

He suddenly takes her from behind out of the black and lifts her up by her waist while holding her arms down. "Now, I can take you back to my bandit clan." He says in a serious tone but at the same time she knows he's just using it as an example of it someone grabbed her.

"_Ah_! Put me down you stupid cat!" She cries, flailing her arms, attempting to elbow him or kick him, her efforts are feebly terrible.

"You will allow me to accompany you then." He sits her down gently and holds a knife out to her. "And you will take this."

She scoffs again, but crosses her arms and looks up at him determinedly. "If you can beat me in a sword fight, _then_ _maybe _I'll let you accompany me." She practiced in her spare time, of course the targets have been unmoving and hay. Plus the swords have been wooden. But she can still try.

She's then scared when Baldar reaches into his bag and pulls a long ebony bow out from it and steps across from her. Her heart drops into her stomach in dread, a squeak nearly escaping her mouth. "Alright, you have one chance to hit me. If you can draw my blood then I will not follow you."

"Okay, _fine_."

She takes a curved route expecting him to be ready for a head on attack but he swings his bow and smacks her in the face effortlessly. She falls to the ground in a heap, clutching the wound and dropping the knife. "Ow…" she groans with a grimace, rubbing the sore spot. Well that was certainly embarrassing. She didn't stand a chance against the seemingly experienced Khajiit. The 'battle' between them didn't last for very long.

"The decision is final, I follow you."

"Two out of three?" She asks feebly, uncertain in her own choice.

"No. You don't have two out of three chances to survive when fighting an enemy." He pulls a quiver out of his back, slipping it over his shoulder and securing his bow to it.

"_Dammit_." She curses, standing. She doesn't look at him, ashamed with her terrible fighting skills as she walks back to the fire in defeat, him trailing behind.

"We make for Ivarstead in the morning then."

"I agreed to you following _me_, not the other way around." she grumbles, still getting over her hurt pride. "Who put you in charge?"

"Well, I am low on arrows and I cannot protect you very well without more. Also, I'm guessing since you are a mage, you want to go to the college to strengthen your craft."

At the mention of the Winterhold college, her face flashes with surprise and excitement. She's always wanted to go there and learn more about magic but never dare mention it in front of her father, as he protests against the arcane arts so very much. "We're going to the Winterhold college?" Her voice is lighter now, glee slipping into her tone.

He's eating sandwich again and put a finger up while he swallows. "Yes, that should be our first destination. From there… I don't know. I figure I will just follow you around until I get my memory back."

Her happiness seems to vanish a little. "So you're really committed to the idea of protecting and following me for quite a long while, all just because I healed you?"

"That, and you are what, twelve?"

Her face explodes in red. "_Excuse me_?! I'm not twelve! I'm _seventeen_!"

He smiles, embarrassed and bows his head. "Apologies, I forgot that your kind always look younger than they are."

She shakes her head, already being able to tell she's not going to enjoy enduring his presence if he keeps insulting her age, man handling her, telling her how weak she is. Just for the spite of it, she starts to raise her hand when his back is turned, about to flick his strange cat ear.

She feels fear icly spread through her when he turns with a look of fire in his eyes and grabs her by the neck whispering something in a language that she doesn't understand. He comes to his senses and lets go of her, scooting away from her for good measure and begins eating again.

She shifts in her space, eyes wide as she slides away from him. She didn't think that would be his reaction to almost being flicked in the ear, must be something that really irritates him. Gulping, she averts her eyes, pretending that hasn't just happened. Great. Perfect. She's traveling with a cat-person psychopath.

That's always fun.

**So, this is a project I worked on with my friend Elli and I really enjoyed working on it. Anyway, I thought I would throw this up along with the next couple chapters.**

**Hope you liked it, this is a definite labor of love for the franchise and story. Leave a comment down bellow, next chapter will be out Friday.**


	2. Slave, Stalker, and Hero

**Baldar:**

Baldar finishes writing the first page of his journal and slips it in his pouch and continues to follow a few steps behind the small Breton girl that he has sworn to protect. In the back of his mind the same question keeps coming up, _why am I doing this?_

Something in his gut has told him that this girl needs his protection but that isn't all. Something in the back of his brain is keeping him from accessing the memories of his experiences but at the same time, it tells him that this is what he will do. This girl needs his protection, he proves that to himself but something about her is important.

He ends up shrugging it off and continues to walk behind her with a smile on his face. "_Our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart/ I tell you, I tell you the dragonborn comes/ With a voice wielding power of an ancient Nord art/ Believe believe the dragonborn comes._"

She turns her gaze to him, eyes staring at him. "Why are you singing?"

"Singing is a good way to pass time as you walk. Ergo, I am passing time." He speaks in his usual cheery tone of voice. But she doesn't seem comforted.

"My father used to sing that to me as a child, to get me to sleep." She mutters quietly, looking away.

"Do you wish that I would stop?"

"If you don't mind," She says softly and gives a curt nod, refusing to look him in the eye. Her shoulders are slouching and her head is down, as if her mood has gotten worse than before.

Baldar opens his mouth to say a comforting word but he just realizes. He never asked her name. "Girl, what should I call you?"

She frowns at what he calls her, looking a little affronted. "Not a _girl_. I'm not a _child_. I'm a young woman."

He speaks in a sly tone,"So your first name is young and last name is woman? Strange."

Her cheeks heat up. "If you _listened_, I said I'm not a child but a young woman. And some respect would be nice."

"Well, when you earn it, you shall recieve it."

Her hands clench and unclench, but she lets out a huff, a faint cloud flowing out of her parted, dry lips. There's a silent pause. "Rose. My name is Rose."

"Of roses so red that they make a young 'woman' blush. That is a very fine name."

Her eyes flicker towards him and she licks her chapped mouth, turning back to the road. "Oh, I… thank you. But it is not that special…" she coughs uncomfortably. "Anyway, what about you? Do you even remember your name?"

"My name is Baldar. A name of power and cunning. One that has already chosen my destiny." He stands up straighter. "Also, would you like some saber cat oil for your lips?"

"That sounds rather disgusting," she scrunches up her face.

"Well, if will help you and heal your lips. You will need it in this cold weather." Baldar takes a small square block from his pouch that's wrapped in cloth.

"I… I will manage just fine in this cold." She stubbornly turns away, declining his offer. "I'm a _Nord _after all."

He rolls his eyes and takes her arm while setting the block in her hand, she blinks up at him, a little baffled. "Learn to accept help young Rose. Now, your lips must stay soft if you are going to be able to help me."

"I _beg _your pardon?" She splutters at his words with a blush, wondrous of what he would need help with from her lips.

"You are very attractive. And you must stay that way in order to play the merchants in the town up ahead." A plan is already working through his mind. "As a Khajiit, no one will barter with me and so you will have to trade the goods I have so that we will have money for supplies. We won't make it to windhelm without them."

Her face is tinged with pink still, partially at his compliment but also because of annoyance. "I will do no such thing, can you not just _take _the supplies? _As you Khajiit normally do._" She's scoffing, but the tone isn't serious, it seems more a poor joke than anything.

His smile twists into a scowl and he stops. "You think lowly of me because I am a Khajiit. Is that it?"

She stops too, realization dawning on her face as to what she actually said and she turns to him with guilty, regretful eyes. She should have known better, the mages are judged because of of something else's mistake. She shouldn't judge one Khajiit for a stereotypical thing as well. "No! No! I-I didn't mean it like that! I swear I was only jesting."

"You must learn not to say the stereotypes allowed, Rose. If I was a lesser Khajiit, I would have snapped your neck." He keeps his expression hard but loosens it to show that he forgives her. "Now, use the fat and heal your lips."

"I hope you do not get _your_ hopes up," she mumbles but applies it to her lips with a cringe. "For I will disappoint greatly."

He lets his smile comes back and gestures for her to continue walking. "Well, say it like that and we will surely die in the forest before making it to the college."

"How far are we until the next resting point?" She asks with a sigh just as they turn the corner and faces the gates of Ivarstead.

"I would say not far but I believe that you would argue with me."

"Surprisingly, not this time." She admits.

He reaches into his bag and pulls out a few leathers along with a rough spun tunic. "I must change into this. If anyone asks, I am your father's indentured servant that was sent with you to trade his furs."

"Just how big is that pouch?" She stares at it. "You can fit a whole kingdom in there."

She looks away in embarrassment when he unties his belt and lets his pants drop following by taking his shirt off. "It can fit three hundred pounds in it before it will be too heavy to carry."

"Right." She shakes her head, keeping her eyes averted.

He pulls the ragged pants up and pulls his tunic over his head. "Does my body disgust you, young Rose?"

"I wouldn't know because I would rather not ogle a naked stranger, or anyone that happens to be indecent." Her face is once again red.

'Yet, you watched me change before. Tis' nothing you haven't seen before." His pupils dilate as they did when he was about to laugh.

"I had no choice before." She argues. "Wounds were all over your body. But now I do have a choice, so I am protecting your modesty."

"You watched me as I stood up and began putting clothes on." He begins putting his old clothes back and picking up five of the six furs that he has brought out. "Grab the last fur and we will head into town."

"I was watching you because I was scared that you would kill me, you did push me against a tree as soon as you woke after all."

She picks up the last fur and they begin into town and are immediately being gazed at by everyone in town. Rose looks a little nervous with all the eyes burning in their direction. Baldar notices this and speaks softly so that only she can hear him. "Steel your nerves, Rose. They are looking at me, not you. Just walk to the trade shop, then we will get a room in the inn for the night."

She inhales deeply and shakily breathes out slowly, swallowing as she approaches the trade shop, giving them a sweet smile, denting in her cheeks, making her seem endearing.

The trader looks from his books up and the two of them as they enter. He immediately has a smile and waves at the her. "Why hello there. What can I help you with today?"

Badlar speaks again in a hush tone. "The furs. Say that you are here to trade the furs."

"Hello, good sir. I am here to trade these furs." She declares to the man, gesturing towards the material in her and Baldar's arms, her voice holds a slight nervous tremble. But she coughs, painting a pleasant, friendly smile on her face.

He pats the table and smiles. "Well, set them up here and I will give them a look see."

Baldar sits the five in his arms down and Rose sets hers down on the table. The man looks them over, checking every inch of every fur. He then nods and turns back to them.

"I can do ten gold a piece."

Rose quickly glances at Baldar for a moment, uncertainty flashing in her blue eyes, then she looks back at the trader to find him looking slightly skeptical, seeing the look. She smiles to cover it up, baring her white teeth. "Yes, that will do nicely."

The trader pulls up a perce and sits it on the desk. He then fills it with gold making sure to show her every piece of gold that he drops in the bag, once he's dropped in sixty gold, he sits it at the edge of the table and winks at her. She seems slightly taken aback, eyebrows raising a little.

"There is a bit extra in there to get yourself a sweet roll at the inn."

"O-oh!" She says in surprise as her face tints pink, then sends him a warm smile, dimples once again showing. "Thank you! How kind of you."

Baldar's smile grows wide and he starts out the door. "Come Rose, lets go get a room."

"Thank you again!" She chirps at the trader who has a strange glint in his eyes while staring at her, taking the gold and following the Khajiit out the door.

"Okay, that should get you a room and you can get some food too."

"That was sweet of him to give me gold for a sweet roll." She comments with a happy smile, eyes gleaming. She seems giddy at the attention it seems like she doesn't normally receive.

"Yes, well, lock your door tonight." Baldar says, wary of the trader.

"Why would I not?" She questions, befuddled. "It seems a bit silly to _not _lock my door, any stranger could just walk in and steal something." Obviously, she did not seem wary for the same reasons Baldar is.

"Well, go to the inn. I need to go cut some wood." He turns off and begins heading to the nearest chopping block.

Baldar grabs one of the nearby axes and begins chopping block after block of wood. Making sure that he gets a nice stack of twenty so that he can make enough arrows to last him until they make it to Winterhold. After, he split enough wood, he placed it to his pack and takes a seat by the wood that's there for the splitting.

A shadow suddenly casts over his vision and he looks up and sees a brunette nord standing over him wearing some fur boots and a fur skirt. The vision causes him to sit up a little straighter, and gape at the woman.

"Ah, are you about to say something Khajiit or are you stunned?"

He shakes his head and stands up. "I was merely at a loss for words my dear nord. How may I be of service to you?"

The woman crosses her arms and looks him up and down. "Well, I am in search of the city of Whiterun. Do you know where it is?"

He opens his mouth to say but his memories fleet and he can't recall. "Damn, I can't seem to remember."

"You can't remember where a town is?"

He pokes himself in the head. "Well, I took a knock in the head not too long ago and can't recall much. But I do recall that I have a map in my satchel here."

He pulls his map out of his pocket and opens it up and shows it to the woman. "Are you coming from Riften?"

"No, I was in Riverwood. They said that they needed help and I must go to Whiterun."

"Well, you went in the opposite direction it looks like." He shows her the map. "Whiterun is over here."

She bites her lower lip in frustration. "Damn it… May I pay you for that map?"

He cocks his head to the side. Again, a woman that he has met is in need and he cannot say no. Without another word, he folds the map and hands it to her.

"Take it, I have more."

She nods to him and takes the map from his hand. "Thank you… what's your name?"

"Baldar. My name is Baldar."

"Well, Baldar, if you should ever need help and I am near. Just call."

Baldar nods to her and she leaves, heading off in another direction. "Whiterun is the other way."

"Damn it, thank you." She turns in the right direction and heads off toward Whiterun.

As she walks away Baldar gets a good glimpse of her from the back and turns away. Something then struck him in the back of his mind and he has the urge to go find Rose again. Following that, he marches off to the inn.

As he walks through the door, he spots Rose sitting at the bar. She looks incredibly uncomfortable as the trader from earlier is leaning towards her, hand tightly grasping her arm. His eyes scan her body with an impish glint in his eyes, whispering something to her, but as Baldar gets closer he hears it.

"I can make a skilled woman out of you." He suggests. "You're so young, inexperienced and innocent. Don't you wish to change that?"

"No, please _unhand me_!" She snaps, but her voice isn't all strong. It's pained from the harsh clasp on her arm. Her eyes are wide, her face is pale from fear and her hands are shaking.

"I didn't pay you that gold for _nothin' _sweetheart," he growls, narrowing his piercing gaze angrily.

Baldar instantly goes into a predatory mode as he struts forward, grabbing a tankard off a nearby table. He then puts his free hand on the man's shoulder and smiles.

"Friend, please calm down. Take a drink and be merry. Don't waste your time on this girl here."

"Take your filthy paws off me slave!" He smacks away the tankard, it thuds as it bounces to the ground. He releases her arm and she backs off, nearing Baldar and watching them cautiously. "Oh. I see, not only are your kind trying to steal all of our product, you try to steal our _women _too!"

Baldar looked at the barmaid and sighed. "Apologies ma'am."

"Let's not start anything in my bar." She says dryly, sending an annoyed look at Baldar and the trader.

"But ma'am, it's already started." Baldar calmly but quickly grabs the back of the man's head and smashes it into the table causing blood to splatter all over as it exploded from his nose and mouth.

"Hey!" The barmaid snarls. "I don't care who starts what, there's no fighting in my-"

The trader cuts her off, picking up a mead bottle and trying to slam it on the Khajiit's head.

"Baldar! Watch out!" Rose quickly cries, covering her mouth in horror and backing away.

Baldar caught the bottle in mid-air and wrenched it from the man's hand. With a quick motion, he flattens his palm and slammed it into his chest making him fly across the bar and rolling into the fire.

"Come Rose, we must leave now." He casually declares as the man screams in agony, rolling on the ground as he attempts to put out the fire.

The barmaid glowers at the two as Rose rushes after Baldar, looking slightly guilty and a little ashamed at how things turned out. She holds herself with a shiver, rubbing her arms as they walk into the freezing air.

Baldar knows that she's in pain from the cold and pulls some fur armor from out of his pouch and holds it out to her. "This will help you with the cold."

She doesn't look at him when she softly says, "It's okay. I don't need it."

He's done with letting her refuse what he orders. "Take it, now."

She opens and closes her mouth, lowering her head with a gentle sigh as she gives in, taking the fur armor and putting it on. She still shivers, but it's lessened from the amount she has shaken before.

It's quiet between them for a while, then Rose hesitantly looks up at him. "...Thank you."

"Tis' fur, young Rose. Nothing to thank me for."

"It's not just that," she tells him. "I mean for dealing with the trader. I thought he was nice, but…" her features turn dark and her tone icy. "Evidently, he proved me wrong."

"Like I told you yesterday. You can't trust anyone that you first meet. They must prove themselves to you." He makes his smile come back.

She pauses, crossing her arms over her stomach. Then she sighs. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Her head lowers and she can't meet his eyes, like a guilty child that's behaved badly. "For this, getting out kicked out into the cold. If I didn't stay and talk with him to be polite and just went upstairs to my room, we would have warm beds tonight."

He shrugs. "Eh, what can you do? Luckily, if we keep walking, we should end up in Windhelm by tomorrow. Late tomorrow, but tomorrow. Think you can make that walk?"

"I should be fine." She nods, but her baggy eyes don't help her argument. "I've always been a night owl rather than an early bird."

"We will see. We still have eight hours of daylight left."

She doesn't look pleased, but she sighs and nods as the two of them walk for Windhelm.


	3. Walking bare or Bearly Walking

**Rose**:

Her mouth opens in a big yawn as the sound escapes her, she covers her lips with her hand in order to be polite, her eyes squinting close as she walks forward. Moaning as she stretches her arms up in the air. She feels nearly drained, hardly sleeping for nearly two days. All she wants to do is have a nice warm bed and lay in it for eternity. _That would be very pleasant, how I wish a bed was in front of me _now _right at this moment, _the blonde girl thinks to herself with yet another small yawn after the big one.

She pinches the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, rubbing her heavy eyes.

"How long now?" She sleepily questions her current companion.

The Khajiit looks no worse for wear and keeps his head held high as he marches. "Four miles or so. Then, we will be at the top of the ridge. After that, it's a straight shot."

Her shoulder sag and she releases a tired groan. "By the time we get there, my feet will be bleeding. May we rest for a moment?"

"Why not?" He breaks a few branches off the tree and quickly starts a fire. She sighs in relief as she sits down, rubbing her sore feet as she warms up her hands. The fire crackles and starts flicking up and striking the cool air like snakes. The reflection of it dances in her blue eyes, illuminating her face with a warm, orange glow. Rose watches the battle of the flame, fascinated while hugging her knees.

She looks up and sees Baldar writing in his journal again.

"What are you writing?" She inquisitively enquires, eyes set on the journal.

"Words."

She frowns at his remark in annoyance. "I _mean_, what are you writing _about_?"

"My thoughts and what is going on in our adventure."

She tilts her head slightly to the side and scoots a little closer to Baldar, interested eyes searching to read the journal. Attempting to seem sly, but it's anything but.

Her effort are immediately in vain as she realizes that he isn't writing in english but some form of elvish. Maybe, it's Dwemeris as he said before.

"What kind of language is that?" She asks, forehead creasing as she tries to make out some words, failing horribly.

"The language that a man uses when he does not want a young 'woman' to understand what he is writing."

She blushes as she gets the hint and awkwardly coughs, innocently looking away. She fiddles with the bottom of her messy platt, thinking about re-doing it. Her eyes flicker to his feline features. "Ah… I apologise. I was only curious."

"Curiosity, killed my brother."

"Oh…" she feels bad about reminding him about his brother. "So you… you can remember him?"

"It was a joke." He has a sly smile on his face.

Anger sparks inside of her and she scowls, turning away. "You should not joke about such things."

"Do you not get the joke?"

"Of course I did," she rolls her eyes, lips pressing together. "But it… wasn't funny. Do not joke about death, it will come to claim you otherwise."

"Ha, death cannot claim me. I am Baldar, Leader of the… Where was I going with that?"

"You should not be so arrogant." She isn't listening to him trail off as she snaps all of a sudden, staring into the fire. It reflects in her blue orbs, as if her anger is being shown in her eyes. "It will get you killed."

"What am I leader of?" He asks completely ignoring her.

"Are you even lis- Urgh, _forget it._" She grits her teeth, standing up and walking off down the road, not caring if he follows or not. "Leader of the arrogant idiots, probably." She mutters irritably.

She's suddenly startled by a giant bear that stands on it's hind legs and roars at her. Rose screams in terror, eyes wide. The bear claws at her, scratching a nasty gash in her arm as she attempts to shield herself. She falls to the ground from the force of the attack, clutching the bleeding gash on her arm with gritted teeth and tears of immense pain in her eyes. She knows she cannot defend herself like this, or at _all_, even though she doesn't like to admit it.

"_Baldar_!" She shrieks, not caring about her pride at that moment.

An arrow shoots by her head and catches the bear in the left eye. Before she can react, an arm wraps around her waist and hoists her up. Soon, she's speeding past the bear faster than she can ever run.

Eventually, she's gently put down. Rose sits up by herself, tears of hot, white pain flowing down her cheeks. She lifts her hand from her arm despite wanting to cradle it and sees the blood leaking through the fur sleeve. Her right shaky hand glows a weak orange light as she puts it on the arm, trying to concentrate as she heals herself. She feels a little better and the bleeding has stopped, but she struggles to concentrate to seal the wound completely.

Her hand is yanked away and a red bottle is placed in it. "You can't have much magika left. Drink this."

For once, she doesn't refuse his help and drinks the bottle. The cool liquid spreads through her body and she feels a tingling sensation in her arm as the gash wound slowly seals up. The pain fades away, replaced with a light buzz in her head. She gasps in relief, leaning her head against the tree he has leaned her against.

She feels annoyance spike in her at the fact she's so weak and helpless, wishing she can change that. She doesn't want people coming to her rescue every five minutes, she doesn't want to be a burden.

She looks next to her and sees that Baldar is covered in sweat, enough that he could be mistaken for having just got swimming. "Well, looks like we _bearly _got out of there."

She shakes her head and scoffs in disbelief at the horrible pun, but can't help the small smile tugging at her lips. She feels more relaxed, not completely. But he's managed to make her feel better. "Your jokes are just… _terrible_."

"At least I'm not scolding you." He jokes and points down the path. "There is Windhelm."

"Well… I guess in a way, we should thank the bear. It got us here faster than when we were walking." She rolls her eyes, flexing her healed arm. Blood stains her arm, but there is no wound. The healing potion and her spell did the trick. No pain. No gash. If it isn't for the blood, it appears as if she never got attacked in the first place. Now she only has the mental scar.

"Well, can you carry me next time we get attacked by a bear?"

"Only seems fair." She manages to chuckle at his light humour, standing up and brushing herself down.

"Well, I could use that bed now." Baldar takes off down the ridge and off towards Windhelm, Rose following after him.

"So can I." She agrees, swiping her dried tears._ I'm so exhausted I can sleep for a year_.

As they approach the gates of Windhelm, she feels relief as her eyes set their sights on the place, she smiles and marches forward, about to enter through when a guard steps in front of her.

"Miss, you can enter, but you have to pay a fine for your slave or make him wait outside."

She's disgraced by this. "He isn't my slave."

"Oh, apologies." He nods towards her, misunderstanding her words. "Have a nice day and welcome to Windhelm."

She is about to walk through the gates, but notices that Baldar isn't beside her and turns around, seeing the guards not letting him in. "What is the meaning of this? He isn't a slave, I told you."

"_You_ may enter, but his kind must a pay a fifty gold fine."

"Each." The other guard says, giving Baldar a look of disgust. "It's not like he doesn't have that kind of money. They have more than enough, they steal from anyone from a little girl to a defenceless elderly person everyday."

She glares at them. Now understanding just how judgemental people can be, even her sometimes. She wants to change that. "He's my friend, just because he's a Khajiit doesn't mean he's a thief. I demand you to let him enter at once."

"We can't do that, m'am." He dismisses. "Rules are rules."

Baldar smiles calmly at the two men and nods, unlike Rose he has control and patience. She slightly admires him for that, but is too frustrated at the guards right now to care. "Well, I would like you to know that I have business here."

"What business? Chasing a ball of yarn?" The other guard mocks in his deep voice, the tall one with sharp eyes and a square chin. He scoffs and swats his hand. "Be on your way, cat. Before things get ugly."

Baldar reaches into his pack and pulls out a piece of paper. "By order of the Jarl of Riften, I was sent here to purchase supplies of the oncoming winter due to a shortage thanks to the thieves guild. Are you condemning my people because I am a Khajiit. Because that would mean you are condemning Nords too."

"Wh-what? No! Of course not! We would never-"

"Be quiet Richard! He could have stolen that. You know what Khajiit are like, they're cunning." The short one intervenes, looking stubborn as he puffs out his chest. But a glint of uncertainty flashes in his eyes.

"My name is Baldar, it says Baldar on the paper." He was completely calm. "I can provide other references for my identity if you need it."

"You also don't seem to speak like ordinary Khajiit, as well." Richard admits, looking sold on his words. "Khajiit speak in third person."

"Shut up Richard! I said the Khajiit are clever! He can be lying!" He snaps at the other guard. "Go ahead." The stubborn one, gestures with his hand. "Where's the proof, cat? _No lies_. I'll see right through."

Baldar begins pulling reference after reference out of his bag. Everything that the guards might need is there. Even a bag of gold with exactly one-thousand gold pieces like the order from the Jarl said. He continues until there was no way that the short guard can argue without sounding like a lunatic.

"Give up Donvar." Richard sighs as the short one splutters, red for not being able to keep his pride. He grumbles, standing face-to-face with the Khajiit. Or at least trying to. He steps to the side at last.

"I believe an apology is in order." Rose speaks up while crossing her arms, not letting them get away with it and not ready to let it go.

"I apologize for the inconvenience we caused you." Richard, the more decent, gullible one says genuinely. Donvar glares at the girl, narrowing his eyes. She hesitates but glares right back at him, more stubborn than anyone Baldar remembers to ever know.

"_I_ _also_ apologize." He says through gritted teeth.

"Eh, what are you going to do? I'm a Khajiit, my kind are known for lying. You were just doing your job." Rose raises an eyebrow and shakes her head as she heads inside, knowing he'd follow her.

_Unbelievable_, she thinks to herself.

"Lets go to the inn." Baldar says as he walks next to her.

"No arguments from me." She declares, looking forward to a nice warm bed. And a _bath_.

"Now, don't let any men buy you drinks, okay?"

"I've learned my lesson." She grimaces. "If a strange man ever offers to buy you something, turn it down. Because they apparently have another motive except to do something nice." She grits her teeth, shivering in disgust at remembering his repulsive, violent hold on her and the eerie glint in his eyes that put an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Anyway, I do not drink."

"Well, more mead for me then."

"Where did you get all those things?" She asks suddenly, changing the topic.

He shrugs. "I don't know."

"Obviously you're important if you have something the Jarl of Riften gave you." She says, more to herself than to the Khajiit. She frowns as she looks thoughtfully at the wall, eyebrows furrowing. "And the gold…where did you get it? Do you remember _anything_ of your life besides your name? Where you lived? Where you were born? Your family? ..._your favorite colour_?" She emphasizes on the last, like it's the most important one.

His face scrunches in an agonizing way and his eyes close. "I don't know. It's like I have the information when needed but I can't remember how I got it. Like it's there but I can only access it when needed."

"Strange..." She mutters, trailing off as she goes into deep thought. She suddenly snaps out of her reverie and looks towards the barmaid. "We should probably get a room, I'm exhausted and I think we both agree that a bed would be absolutely _perfect_."

"Yes, a bed. Maybe with a few extra additions but yes. A bed none the less." Baldar got ahead and opens the door for her and they both enter the inn.

They approach the barmaid.

"Two rooms please." Rose asks politely, smiling at the woman. She nods, returning the gesture.

"That's twenty gold," she declares.  
Baldar grabs twenty gold out of his pouch and throws it on the table. "Tell me, is there a bar around here?"

"Upstairs and to the left."

Baldar nods and takes his key from the woman before heading upstairs. Rose smiles, takes her own key with a grateful nod and follows him. "Baldar?"

"Yes?" She looks almost hesitant.

"Thank you." She tells him, expression soft with a smile. "For the whole bear thing. I um… I didn't tell you before." Her eyes are barely able to keep open. "Goodnight."

"Good night, young Rose. We will leave when you are ready tomorrow."

"Alright Baldar." She says, but he's already leaving to the bar. Rose stretches and asks the barmaid where to go for her room before heading towards it. Before crashing on the comfortable, warm bed she has a bath, cleansing the dirt and the blood from her body with a relaxed sigh.

Tomorrow, they head to the College of Winterhold.

Rose can't help the grin of excitement that spreads on her lips.

She can't wait.

Rose pushes the door to Baldar's room open and sees a form sleeping under all the covers on the bed. She assumes that it is him and walks over to remove the covers but stops when the form makes a very feminine sound. She then hears a snore from behind her and looks to see Baldar, sleeping on the desk and using his journal as his pillow.

Her eyes widen as she slowly looks back to the bed and steps back, tapping on Baldar's head.

"Baldar!" She hisses in a whisper.

He reaches back and puts his arms around her. bringing her in close as he whispers in her ear. "Awake again are you? Well, we still have hours before Young Rose wakes. Do you feel like another go?"

A strained squeak escapes her, her voice confused and her face red. "B-Baldar?"

His eyes suddenly shoot open and he pushes her away. "Rose!"

She ignores what just happened, for both of their sakes. "There's someone in your-" she cuts herself off, innocently blushing even more as she realizes. "_O-Oh_!"

He rubs the back of his head embarrassed. "Yes, well, did you knock?"

"Yes." She says, averting her eyes awkwardly. "I was coming in to ask something but it seems I can't remember what that was."

"Well, I can't imagine it was 'is an elf a decent partner?' so…" He took a whiff of the air. "What smells like soap?"

"I do." She fiddles with the hem of her sleeve, fidgeting uncomfortably at his words. Also at the sight of him standing bare before her. She can't count how many times she's seen him without clothes now. "I-I uh-I took a bath."

"The smell, it's different. That's bad." He walks over and pulls his clothes out of the dresser and begins putting them on. His usual orange tunic, brown pants and boots.

"Bad? How is the smell of soap bad?" Rose wants to leave the awkward room, but also wants to hear what he says, if Baldar says something is bad, then something is indeed _bad_.

"Bears, wolves, even horkers will smell you now. And you are their favorite type of fodro\. Young, small, and tender." the Khajiit smiles. "It's the same reason that man in Ivarstead tried to get you to bed with him."

She pales. "Oh."

He pulls the tunic over his head and gives her his most confident smile. "Good thing you have a guardian looking out for you though."

A huge snore turns their attention to the bed and Rose sighs. "Yeah… lucky me." She shakes her head. "I should leave now." She quickly starts making her way to the door.

As she does, she hears footsteps right on her tail. "Not without me you're not."

"I think you're a bit busy right now." She remarks dryly, hugging her book to the chest as she opens the door.

"Nope, I am done and ready to go. Also, I picked up a spell tomb for you."

Her eyes gleam in interest, she ignores the snores and turns to him. "Really?"

He reaches back into his bag and pulls out a deep purple book. "It is called sparks."

She giddily reaches out for the book. "I shall study it straight away."

"Well, study it on the road. We should start for the College. Then, you can stay there and I will go."

At those words, she looks up at him, blue eyes flashing with ambivalence and hesitance for a moment then she nods and turns. "Oh, excellant."

"Good, I was worried you were beginning to get attached."

"Non-sense." She swats her hand, back still turned. "Why would I want some psychopathic cat-whore stalking me? Come, we should leave at once."

Baldar is silent for the rest of the journey.

Rose can't help but glance at him every so often, expression sobering at the thought of being on her own. If she's honest with herself, she has been slightly getting attached to the psychopathic cat-whore.

She shoves her slight sadness away at their inevitable departure and her soon solitude, it's what she wants after all.

**Alright, here is the next chapter. Reviews are what is going to get this thing going again and Elle said that if it got five off of this chapter she would go back to writing it with me so please show your support.**

**1473I2**


	4. Spelltomes and Black Daggers

**Baldar:**

Baldar thinks to himself as they walked through the jungle. To be honest, he's slightly excited to be rid of Rose. He has promised to protect her before but now, he wants ever so much to leave her with the dagger he has given her and see how far she gets.

Yet, he can't. Something in his heart tells him that she needs him and he has needed this kind of protecting before. It has something to do with a title he has held. Mane, he thinks it was called.

The thought draws his hand back and he pulls an ebony dagger from his pocket and looks it over. Writing is scribed all over it but there is one thing that stands out to him. _Hail Baldar, bringer of peace and a new age for the Khajit_.

The dagger becomes heavier in his hand as he holds it but he can't drop it. A vision comes to him of him as a child, running with the dagger in his hand. It quickly fades and he stashes the dagger and continues walking.

"Not far now. There is snow on the ground and it is only getting thicker as we go."

"Great..." Rose mutters distantly and distracted as she continues to read her book as they walk, only glancing up slightly to see where her footing is.

She was an ungrateful little wench that was for sure and that just makes him smile more with every step toward Winterhold. "Just keep counting the steps."

"Pardon?" She asks, putting a finger on the page she's on as she looks up at him finally, stumbling a little. She's been so into reading the book, she hasn't really been paying attention.

"It's a spell tomb. You need to absorb it, not read it."

"It's still fascinating," she mumbles self-consciously, then after a pause she mumbles something again looking incredibly sheepish.

"What was that?" He eyes a deer off in the distance and removes the bow from his back.

"I…" she mumbles again as she lowers her head, a pink tinge of embarrassment growing into her cheeks.

He doesn't wait for her to say anything else. Instead, Baldar sprints off and fires another arrow into the deer dropping it to the ground. Then, he begins to skin it.

He finishes quickly by the time that she catches up to him, he has already began cutting meat. "So, what was it you were saying?"

"I said that I-I, uh…" she swallowed, lowering her head again with a crimson face. A few strands of her blonde hair falls into her face. Frustration etches across her features as she sighs in annoyance. "...I don't know how."

He rakes a bite of some of the meat he cuts from the ribs and then looks at her confused. "But… you know heal."

"I don't know how I did that either." She admits with shame and exasperation, arms falling limp to her sides. "One minute I was reading, the next I was asleep and then the next day it's as if I automatically know the spell."

"Well, then you do know how to do it. Here." He gets behind her and begins manipulating her arms into position. "Put your arm under it and cradle the book. Then put your other hand in the book on the pages. Last, close your eyes and let it flow into you."

Rose purses her lips and closes her eyes, doing as he says. She breathes in and then out slowly, feeling something strange flowing within her body. It's a warm feeling. It engulfs her, rushing through her veins as it runs through her like a current. Power pours into her fingertips and it goes through her. Rose's eyes snap open with a gasp and a huge smile. "_I did it!_"

"What, do you want a standing ovation?" Baldar moves from behind her and begins again on the deer.

Rose glares at him in irritation at the unshared excitement and turns to her palm. She expects something amazing is about to happen as she flicks her hand, but a few sparks flash between her fingertips, nothing else. She frowns. "Well… that's pathetic."

"Just like most of the stuff you do." Baldar said in jest.

She scowls as anger spikes inside of her, ignoring him to the best of her ability as she tries again. Nothing but weak electric shock. She presses her lips together, eyebrows furrowing together as she attempts to do it once again, ending up with the same result over and over until Baldar is finished.

"Urgh!"

He stands up and holds out a strip of meat to her. "Want some food to go with your failures?"

Growling, she feels the strong frustration flood inside of her as she lunges out a hand to angrily knock the food away. Only, a few small bolts of lightning spray out of her hand like a vicious attacking, provoked animal and shocks him. It stuns him and his fur spikes out comically in response. She gasps, laughter glistening in her eyes as she slaps hands to her mouth to hide her fat joyful grin.

"Oh, I am going to die before we get to Winterhold." Baldar looks into his hand and saw that the meat he was holding out to her was now fully cooked. "Well, that's convenient."

She snatches the food and walks passed him to the road path. "You deserve that, you know."

He quickly begins walking and pushes past her. "Why? Because I am a psychopathic cat-whore?"

She giggles, a spring in her step from being able to do another spell. "A _stalking_ psychopathic cat-whore. One that's quite annoying if you ask me."

"Good thing I am going to stop stalking you here soon."

She glances at him to find him not looking at her. Her smile fades ever so slightly but she keeps it up and nods in excitement. "I can't wait."

"So, do you have any scarves on you?"

Rose frowns, sobering a little at the thought of something. "I have nothing except for what you have given me."

Baldar sighs and reaches into his bag. "This is the last thing I am giving you." He grabs some Mages robe out of his bag along with a hood. "They are enchanted so that your magika is more and you will regenerate it faster."

Her eyes snap towards the robes in glee as she eagerly takes them. "Really? Are you sure I can have them?"

"Why not, I have no use for them." Baldar began walking again and slipped the bow onto his back.

"Thanks," she tells him giddily, but then her smile fades as she looks around for an area to change into them.

"Something wrong?"

"I don't want to change in front of you." She says, cheeks holding that hint of pink.

Baldar then turns around and crosses his arms. "This is all snowy plain from here to Winterhold. I will not look, I promise."

She hesitates, but quickly drops the fur armor, the cold making her shiver and tremble. Rose takes the robes and changes into them faster than she's ever changed before, all while slightly crouching in the risk that he turns when he's not meant to. Her hair escapes her platt and she sighs in annoyance, taking it out. Her long, wavy golden hair sways in the breeze and she figures she might as well redo it when they reach Winterhold. It feels relaxing to have the tight platt undone for a while.

"I'm done, thank you for the robes."

"You are welcome." He says without turning around. "Now lets move."

"I also thank you for not turning," she says, catching up and walking besides him.

"Trust me, I have seen enough women not to be tempted by a seventeen year old child."

Rose feels anger flame inside of her and picks up her pace, storming ahead of him. "Well, the sooner we get to Winterhold the sooner you won't have to put up with this seventeen year old _child_." She sneers, walking faster.

Baldar just keeps his pace and lets her continue. "There are snow sabercats up here you know."

Her pride doesn't care for her safety and just makes her keep on marching ahead, but uncertainty flashes across her face for a moment. She shakes her head, if she sees such a beast, she will use her new spell on it or run. Or both. No problem.

"You still won't have to put up with the _burdening child_, either way." She cooly dismisses, going further.

"No, Rose, don't go too far." Baldar feels a tinge of guilt for calling her a child.

There's a roar from behind him and Baldar turns to see that a sabercat is already on their trail. Its about the size of the bear and eyeing him with hunger. He makes sure not to make any sudden movements, not even to grab his bow. He just continues to stare it in the eye because something in his gut told him that it's the only thing keeping it from pouncing.

All of a sudden, thin, small bolts of lightning glower at the sabercat. It growls in pain and turns its predatory gaze on Rose, who is attempting to damage it. She throws more at him furiously but then runs out of magika and pants, staring at it with wide, worrying eyes.

Baldar takes that as his chance and charges at the cat, tackling it by putting his shoulder under it's rib cage. Then, he begins to claw. Scrapping, cutting, slashing until the sabercat was all but dead. To finish it off, he bites down and tears it's throat out with his teeth.

Covered in blood he looks at a horrified Rose and spits out the sabercats throat out of his mouth. "That's why you don't run off from me."

"I would've been fine." She defends herself, shaking a little. Her skin is pale from watching the battle between sabercat and Khajiit, looking scared. She seems to know her words are a lie.

Baldar shakes his head and tears his tunic off with one claw swipe and then begins to pull knew clothes out of his bag. "I apologize for the comment. You are not a child. Still, get your temper under wraps. It will get you killed or worse, me killed."

"Let's just go." She says quietly, as she starts turning around and walking. Not having any other comment.

He follows her and begins pulling new clothes out of his pouch. This set is black and has a cape, hood, and mask to go with them. Soon, he's fully dressed and covered from head to toe. You can't even see his face and he has his tail hidden by a cape. Drawing the hood, he passes rose as they enter the town.

"Now, you just have to pass the bridge guards test to enter the college."

Anxiety seems to play on her face. "Right. I'll do my best." She stops walking suddenly, then looks up at the Khajiit. "You can leave me now, then."

Baldar turns to her_._ "Rose, I will not leave you until you set foot on that bridge and may gain entrance."

She seems almost aggravated. "Fine. At least go in the inn or something, I don't want you holding my hand while I'm trying to impress the bridge guards."  
"Something tells me that you will look better if I say that I recommend you for the college."

"That's just you being arrogant." Rose scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, it's true. I have made a name from myself in Skyrim. That I am sure of."

"I've heard nothing of you so you're obviously not important enough to have reached at least Helgen."

"That's because I went by my father's name as a thief. You would know me as K'Vash." Baldar begins remembering some of his life and the pieces he put together begins to make sense. "Leader of the Thieves guild."

Her eyes widen. "What?"

"Yes." He stands straighter. "I brought them back to earn the respect and fear they deserve."

"... so you _are_ a thief." She says, eyes widening more as she steps back to stare at him. "_That's_ where you got the gold from? And the things from the Jarl of Riften? You're a _criminal?_"

"K'Vash is the criminal. I am a Thane of the Jarl of Riften as Baldar." He understands everything that he has done until now. All the mysteries of the information he have come back to him.

"That doesn't matter. You may have used your father's name, but _you_ are still the criminal." Rose points out, frowning. "You might be the Thane of the Jarl of Riften, but how do I know you didn't use that as a cover-up for your criminal life?"

Now that he knows everything and she does. Baldar bows to her. "Forgive me. I have been running all my life and still am. Now, I guess I should flee from you as well." With that, Baldar turns and begins to head toward the inn and away from Rose.

Baldar steps into the inn and sits down at a far back table noticing that the shadows that surround him seem to reach out and begin to cover him. The information suddenly came to him that he is a Nightengale of Nocturnal and thus the shadows bend to his will. Sadly, it also stops the barmaids from noticing him and he ends up having to call one out just to get a pint of ale.

He sits and drinks for a little while enjoying the drink and the atmosphere but once he has estimated that Rose has passed the test and gone in. He sets the cup down and drops a few septems to pay the fee and leaves.

He takes a step out the door and is greeted by a familiar young woman sobbing quietly to herself on the stairs. "Rose?"

She jumps in alarm and turns her blue, puffy eyes up to him. Down her cheeks, tears are flowing freely and her nose is tinged pink. Her mouth opens in surprise and she sniffs, trying to force herself to stop crying as she turns back around, but hiccups escape out of her lips. She sniffs again, refusing to make eye-contact. "What are you still doing here? I thought you were fleeing or something?"

Her voice is shaking and cracking, it sounds like she's been crying for a bit from her horase throat.

"Well, I can't flee without some ale in my stomach. I thought you would have gotten into the College by now."

"Haven't you heard?" She mutters, putting her head in her hands. "I'm a poor, pathetic excuse for a mage with nothing to her name."

Baldar knows exactly what she means then and something takes him over. The same protectiveness he has felt when he first met her comes back and he grabs her by the arm and starts toward the bridge. "Come then, you are receiving a recommendation from the leader of the Thieves guild."

"Stop, Baldar." Rose yanks her arm out of his grip, shaking her head. "There's no way she's going to accept me. She already told me to go home." Her eyes look down. "The only thing is, I don't have one. Not anymore."

Baldar thinks to himself at what she means and a vision comes to him. He was on a cliff looking down at Helgen as a black winged creature struck terror over it's residents. "Helgen is gone…"

"And so is my father. He's… missing." Her voice shakes. "That's why I was on the road, it's not like I had anywhere else to go, now I'm on the road again, alone… with _nothing_." Her eyes water up again, she bites her lip to force herself not to cry.

Baldar can't stand to see her like this. His life will have to wait, she needs help. "Come with me. I will get you into the College."

Baldar doesn't grab her arm this time but with the command in his voice he knows she will follow. He marches all the way up the ramp and to the woman. They make it all the way up to the dark elf that manners the bridge and she looks at Rose in disgust. "_You_ again? I thought I told you to leave and go home."

Baldar reaches into his bag and pulls out three things: a scroll, a dagger, and a bag of gold. "By order of the Thane of Riften this woman has my recommendation to enter the college." He hands the woman his scroll. "She carries with her the blessing of Mane of the Khajiit." He places the knife in the woman's other hand. "And she is supported by the Thieves guild." He took the knife back and slipped the coin purse in it. "Now, by the love of Mara, the righteousness of Talos, and the Faithfulness of Akatosh you will let this woman into the college or you will receive the fury of all that I have showed you."

The elf looks down, wide eyed at the things that Baldar shows her and then into his hood because she can't see his eyes. She then looks at Rose and nods toward the bridge. "Right this way ma'am."

Rose can't seem to believe what's happening, she looks at Baldar with a look of gratefulness and surprises both herself and the Khajiit when she lunges forward and wraps her arms around his waist tightly. It's quick, but a hug none the less. She moves away with a smile through her previous tears of sadness. "_Thank you_. For everything."

The Mane looks off toward the College and holds his ebony dagger out toward her. "Don't thank me. I left my people in disarray without a leader, I am giving my place up in the Thieves guild, and I don't know if I can even go back to Riften. There is someone there."

"Then you could stay?" Rose suggests. She meets his gaze with a genuine small smile. "You kept me alive, you protected me despite my stubborn, persistent rejections. Criminal or not, _you're a good man_.

"Young naive Rose, I am running from my destiny. I don't know if I can do that by staying in one place. I will visit you during your time at the College but I cannot stay."

She seems a little saddened at the thought of him leaving but nods in understanding, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just _promise _me you will," she gives him a slight smirk. "As much as you are an annoying, stalking, psychopathic, cat-whore… It would be nice if you do."

"I promise, but I need to fill in the blanks. Figure out what memories I am missing now. Until then." Baldar gently places the dagger in her hand and she watches as he takes off back down the bridge.


	5. Traveling Band

**Rose:**

_Wow_.

Rose gapes at everything around her, amazed by even the little things like the fountains, the blue flames. Though, she doesn't like the looks she gets, like all the students here _belong_ there and she doesn't. Technically, she kind of bought her place there thanks to Baldar, but she hasn't _earned_ her right.

All the students seem to know this.

She reaches up, playing with a lock of her long, blonde and wavy hair as she sits down in her dorm room. There isn't a door to close the room, which makes her feel awkward and exposed, but she figures that there's a spell to get changed without all the hassle of actually physically dropping her clothes to the ground.

The seventeen year old sighs and turns her gaze to the end table, she stands and kneels in front of it, yanking open the small cupboard and taking out the dagger that her ex-companion and 'guardian' has given her before taking off to 'discover' the rest of himself and solve the puzzle of his memories.

The dagger is long and flowing being made of ebony. On the side there is writing that she can not decipher but it seems like an old language. She tilts her head to the side as she observes the tool, eyes trailing it from the razor-sharp tip to the hilt of the handle.

She hasn't been here that long, but she doesn't feel welcome. Some have been giving her glares, some ignoring that she's there at all, isolating her and making her the outcast. She hasn't been formally introduced by the teachers there yet, she's only been shown to her room and told she will be assigned a student to show her around since she is new.

"Where did you get that dagger?" The voice came from behind her and for a moment she thinks it might be Baldar.

Rose spins around and stands, hiding the dagger behind her back with wide eyes.

It's not.

It's a Khajiit, but it's not the one she has been travelling with.

"J'zargo knows of that dagger." The Khajiit has Baldar's same overconfidence in his stance but thats where the similarities end.

"I don't know what dagger you speak of." She tries to lie, shifting her weight onto her other foot as she eyes him. The Khajiit has piercing, blue icy eyes that stares back at her. He has grey fur and the same sort of robes as her.

"Let J'zargo see it." The Khajiit is faster than she thought and he is behind her pulling it from her fingers.

She gasps, an expression of annoyance and worry etching on her face. "H-hey! Give that back!"

J'zargo begins examining it and he begins to glare at it. "This is the knife of the coward."

She reaches around him for the dagger in panic of not getting it back, trying to get it. "That belongs to me! Return it at once!"

J'zargo stops fighting her and she is able to snatch it out of his grasp and hugs it as if he is going to yank it away again. "Whoever you killed to get that knife. You have done the Khajiit people a great service."  
She says glares at him. "I've never killed anyone. This dagger was a gift."

"You are friends with the coward?" The different Khajiit glares at her and small sparks begin to dance between his fingers. "Do you know what he has done?"

"He seems anything _but _a coward to me." She snaps, but takes a step back in a defensive stance, wary. "He's saved my life plenty of times."

"Bah," J'zargo crosses his arms and turns around and gives her the cold shoulder. "He ran away. The supposed leader of our people left us in disarray."

"Have you ever thought about _why_?" She asks cooly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Maybe he had a good reason?"

"Generations of Mane never deviating from the path and then one runs because he wants to have fun."

"He…then he has changed since then." her expression softens slightly, looking down at the dagger. "He still is not a coward to me. Even if he is an arrogant idiot, I owe him my life."

"Oweing your life to a fallen one. _Pathetic_." J'zargo turns around. "J'zargo is to be your campus guide. Now, come."

"_You_ are _dismissed_." She scoffs, she dislikes this Khajiit and can tell already she will bash heads with him a lot. "I will find my own way around the campus."

J'zargo walks out the door and laughs. "Good luck then."

Rose rubs her eyes and closes the book she has been studying. The history of some mage that she has to write a report about. She sighs and stretches, leaning back on her wooden chair before standing up and placing the book back where she found it. The orc Urag gro-Shub seems to be one of the few people at the college that likes her. He likes that she carefully looks after the books.

One of the people that dislike her is, as she suspected from the start, the Khajiit J'zargo. He seems to clash with her a lot, not liking her friend Baldar at all. She always defends him, saying how he is a good man and not a coward but he always laughs in her face and always calls her pathetic. He also brags about how she is going to fail massively since she didn't earn her place and he did.

J'zargo just finds ways to get on her top nerve, provoking her all the time. He never misses a chance to arrogantly declare how better he is than her. He seems to favor riling Rose up just to spite her. He is even more of an arrogant idiot than Baldar.

Speaking of whom, she hasn't seen in a month and a half, if she's counted the days correctly. During that time she's made sure to study hard and learn as many spells as she can. She loves magic, while it's a pain and so frustrating to learn, it is an amazing talent that she has been fascinated with since she was a little child.

She's missed him a little, a little lonely with the lack of friends. Even if she's technically not _great_ old friends with Baldar, he's the only one she's got, with her father missing and all.

Rose rolls her shoulders and walks out of the Arcaneum, she feels warmth flow in her palm as she casts candlelight so she can see, the corridor a bit dark. A student or two give her icy looks as she passes. She isn't that popular at the college, having 'forced' her way in.

She finally reaches her dorm room, digging her palms into her eyes as she rubs them. She groans as she walks in. She tiredly gives a sigh, she's been up all night trying to study but she's been reading the same paragraph for half an hour now. She throws the book on her bed.

Or trying to.

It's not been very successful.

"I don't think the Librarian would appreciate you treating books in that manner."

Rose feels the blood in her veins freeze and she feels her brain swim with thoughts at the sound of that voice. She spins around and sees the one and only Baldar casually sitting on her desk. Her eyes widen in shock. "_Baldar_!"

He smiles and nods to her. "Young Rose, how goes it?"

She took in his image and to her surprise, he hadn't changed much. He still wears the same armor he left in but the face cover is gone and his hood is drawn back. The only other difference was a new bow over his shoulder.

"I can't believe you're here!" She grins, but then quickly frowns. "Wait- why are you sitting on my desk? I have work on there!"

"I needed a place to sit and I figured that you would be angrier if I was to sit on your bed. Being a cat-whore and all."

"You do have a point," she rolls her eyes, making a gesture for him to get off. "Please get off my work. You could have just stood or sat on the floor."

"There wasn't enough light to work with this." He pulls a Dwemer Lexicon from his robes. "I found it at my Manor."

"Oh my-!" she raises her eyebrows, stepping closer. "_Fascinating_! You said you found it at _your manor_?"

"Yes, the longer I hold it the more I understand some of my questions. Why can I speak, write and understand Dwemeris? This thing cracked open once then I held it and it beamed the knowledge into my brain. But there is something more to it." He then slipped it back into his pouch. "How do you go in this place?"

"It's… difficult." Rose admits, pressing her lips together before continuing. "I'm not welcomed by fellow students because they think I don't belong there and that I'm not 'worthy' of the college." She then smiles. "But at least this dark elf girl seems nice enough, and the Librarian likes me because I always return his books and in good condition. I also have to study hard, but I've learned five new spells so far!"

Baldar thinks to himself and then peaks into the hall. "Elf girl, you say?"

Her eyes widen and her face blushes. "No! Baldar, you cat-whore!" she pulls him back in, scowling. "Not my classmates, _please_. Especially not the elf girl, she's the only one nice to me in here."

He sits on the floor immediately after that. "Now, what if she visits the Inn tonight?"

"Then you ignore her and pick another person to have your _fun _with." She pleads. "I don't want her hating me because I'm friends with the Khajiit that laid with her for one night and then left."

He rolls his eyes and leans back on his hands. "Okay, so what classmates are giving you trouble? I can hit them with some payback for you."

"I'm not going to use you to harm my classmates," she sighs. "It's upsetting, but I can tolerate it. If it gets too much, then I'll ask. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Baldar grabs a long deep purple sword from his pouch and begins looking it over. "How about this sword? My Argonian housecarl was holding it for me, apparently."

She shakes her head, sitting down in front of him and gently kicking his leg. "Don't be silly. That's-" she stops, eyes widening at footsteps and snapping to the door. "Someone's coming! _Hide_! Under the bed!"

Baldar just smirks at her and disappears into nothing. Rose stares at the spot for a while in amazement, wishing she can do that and thinking about asking her teacher to help her learn it.

When she hears someone walking into her room, she stands, eyeing the spot on the floor cautiously like she can stand on him at any moment and turns around, surprise flashing in her eyes when she sees J'zargo there, but then a displeased expression quickly takes over her face.

"J'zargo," she sighs tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose before looking up at him with annoyance. "What do you want?"

"J'zargo crafted some scrolls and they are no longer on his stand. J'zargo figured since you are friends with the fallen one, you must be a thief too."

Her face turns crimson in both anger and aggravation. "I did no such thing! How dare you even accuse me of stealing something from _you_ of all people. Do you even know the diseases I could catch from just walking into your room?" She seethes, hands clenching.

He glares at her. "Well, good luck with J'zargo's stolen scrolls. J'zargo will just head back to his room."

"Fine! You can realize how much of an imbecile you are when you have a revelation that I haven't taken your stupid scrolls that probably don't even work!" She snaps, gritting her teeth as she calls after him. "I didn't steal _anything_!"

J'zargo is gone before she can say anything else.

She growls, scowling as she cries out and stamps her foot in frustration like a child having a tantrum. "Stupid arrogant _cat_!"

"Idiotic pathetic child!" He calls back before heading out the door.

Her face flushes red as her scowl grows deeper, her face quite the picture. "_Urgh_!"

"You have an admirer." Baldar suddenly appears on the top of the dresser with his legs crossed and a smirk on his face.

She splutters in confusion. "_W-what?! _Have you knocked your head again?"

"Khajiit males tend to try and stay around a female that he fancies."

"That happens no matter what the race, but that Khajiit doesn't like me, he _loathes _me!" She argues, skin turning red from frustration. "And the feeling is mutual because I can't _stand_ him! He's _insufferable_, he's way too _arrogant_, he's _moronic _and he blames me for _everything_! He's just-I-_Urgh_!"

"Sounds more to me like you both don't know how to make a move so you just fight." He begins throwing the sword up in the air and catching it by the hilt.

"That's a _ridiculous _concept!" She scoffs, turning up her nose at him. "I would rather gouge out my eyes than even _think_ about that."

"Really, because you used to look at me the same way and now we are friends."

Baldar just sits back and shrugs. "Whatever, not like any Khajiit would be sexually attracted to you."

She looks a little insulted at his wording but crosses her arms and nods. "Good. Because I _really_ don't see what you see and I think you just bumped your head… _again_."

"Yeah, you are a human afterall. Not like you are an elf. Now _that _is a race of attractive women."

"Stay away from my classmate!" She grumbles.

"Because I was definitely talking about just her. Then there's the Breton too. Part elf but they are animals. Other than that and the Khajiit, everyone just seems like a waste of time."

She sighs. "Look, I just don't see it. J'zargo is a pain to deal with and an irritation, but he's nothing to me."

"Okay, I just have seen you and him around a lot together the last couple of days and I figured there might be something going on."

"Well, there's noth- wait, _last couple of days_?" She stares at him. "Have you been spying on me?"

"Yeah, I have been hanging around. Seeing what you have been up to."

"Could have just asked, you know," she mutters with an eyebrow raising slightly. "That's kind of creepy, Baldar."

"As I have gone I have found that many enemies wait for me in shadows. Do you know how many times I have had to stave off Dark Brotherhood members? A lot."

She shakes her head and approaches him, surprising him with a warm hug. "I'm just glad you kept your promise and visited."

"Why wouldn't I keep it?" He asks wrapping his arms around her in a hug as well.

"Some people break promises because they are simple little words." She shrugs. "Oh, and that so called _'admirer'-"_ she says the word with disdain. "_-_knows who gave me the dagger. The first time I met that stupid Khajiit, he saw it when I was putting it away. J'zargo said you're a coward. I disagreed."

Baldar's expression pains. "I am a coward. I ran from my destiny and am still running."

"So you were a little scared." Rose hugs him tighter. "Everyone gets scared. They all put too much pressure on you to be something great, you wanted to live a little- or well, sleep around like the cat-whore you are. You may have ran from destiny, but you weren't ready."

"Rose, if you ask anyone now, my people are disrespected and lie in the streets, high from drinking moon sugar. Everyone is looking down on us now. Even the Redguards are taking us as slaves. There was a prophecy that I would bring the Khajiit to their rightful place in Tamriel but instead… I ran. I didn't want the responsibility. Worse, I am the first Mane to run… ever."

"To be entirely honest, I would've ran too. It's a terrifying thought." She says, grabbing his shoulders. "You must not live in the past, my friend. Another Khajiit could've rose, but no one did. Even now, the prophecy can be true. You can still rise. It didn't say _when _you would bring the Khajiit to their rightful place, did it? You can _still_ redeem your past if you so wish. Just know that _I_ don't think you're a coward, that's at least one person on your side, right?"

"At least one… Yeah, sounds great! We can run together, right?"

"Of course." She nods with a warm smile.

He brings his hand up and bopped her on the forehead. "Foolish woman. You are a mage. You cannot run from here until you have mastered your art."

"Oh, but of course! I can't wait to learn all of these spells! _So many spells!_" She grins, but then remembers something when she looks off to the side and groans. "Not to mention the essay I can't seem to finish. Would you mind helping me?"

"Have you not figured out what it does to have the blessing of the Mane?"

"Um, no." She answers, tilting her head in confusion.

Baldar stands up a little taller. "As Mane, I have the ability to give those I deem worthy my blessing. The blessing gives you the benefit of knowledge. You see, you shouldn't need my help because you will remember everything that you have read."

"That's… convenient." She says with surprise but then nods in understanding. "Thinking about it, I have had a better memory lately."

"You shouldn't have a problem with your report now that you know of the blessing."

"I'll get to it later, my lesson is soon. Rumours have spread that it's a binding spell this time." Her eyes gleam. "You could be invisible from the sidelines and watch? It's outside."

Baldar looks towards the door and shrugs. "Sure, I was planning on being in town for a few days anyway."

"Excellent!" She squeals, clasping her hands together. "I can give you my own personal tour of the college and everything! You'd have to be invisible and I'd probably look like my mental health isn't as sharp as the norm, but- _excellent_!"

Baldar bows his head and disappears from sight.

Rose giddily puts her book on the desk and walks out the room.


	6. College pains

**Baldar:**

Baldar moves behind Rose as quietly as he can but doesn't really need to thanks to the invisibility he has. The one gift from Nocturnal that doesn't hurt anyone. Though, in the last couple months he has spent a lot more time as nothing than he would like to.

"So Rose, what happens if something goes wrong?"

"'Goes wrong' in what context exactly?"

"Goes wrong. Like blows up in your faces wrong."

"Then we either sort out the mess ourselves, or have help from the teachers."

Baldar nodded his head and then got on to his usual prying. "So, have you had your first kiss yet?"

Rose trips over her feet but catches herself as she turns to face his direction, spluttering with a heavy blush coating her cheeks. "I-I beg your pardon?"

Baldar shrugs suddenly aware that she can't see him. "Just asking a common question."

"Not like it's any of your business." She argues in annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest, scowling. "But no, I have not."

"Never tell a thief what you have and don't have." Baldar says. "He might try to steal it away."

Rose looks a little confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You will know eventually."

She shakes her head, eyebrows furrowing together in a frown. "I will never understand yo-"  
"Rose!" The blonde girl turns, seeing a dark elf standing there with a smile. "I doubt that J'zargo told you but our next session is earlier than planned. I thought I should mention just in case."

"Urgh, _stupid cat_." she looks frustrated as she pinches the bridge of her nose before looking at the dark elf with a grateful, relieved smile. "Thank you Brelyna."

Baldar lost all his words as the dark elf transforms before his eyes and is suddenly wearing the same armor as him. "Karliah?"

Brelyna starts, eyes darting around. "Huh, did you hear that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Rose says, a bit too enthusiastically, she links her arms with Brelyna and starts dragging her away. "We're going to be late! Let's hurry up!"

"I swear I heard something." Brelyna says in doubt before sighing. "Nevermind."

Baldar shook his head and she changes back. "No, not Karliah."

Rose glances over her shoulder with a pointed glare before being lead away with Brelyna.

"I think I should stay back while you do to this, young Rose." Baldar looks at her face to see if she was okay with it.

She gives a small nod, trying not to look strange in front of Brelyna as she tries to convince her there was no voice.

Baldar turns to leave but something sly comes over him. He finds his feet stop making sound and he goes into a crouch to stay unseen. Slowly following her as she goes out to work.

The training hall is large and surrounded in archs with the center being a small pool. All the students were lined around the edge as an old man walked around handing each one of them a book.

Baldar stepping off to the side, observes Rose's lesson and how she was doing at the academy. "Alright, today we will be summoning an atronach of the… Rose, what form of summons should we use?"

"O-oh!" She stutters, surprised at the spotlight. Her hands clasp behind her back, lips pressing together in thought before she comes up with a small smile. Her voice is slightly shy. "A flame atronach?"

Baldar let out a chuckle at how unsure of herself, she is. He knew that she possesses a great potential and need not worry.

"Very good", the instructor replies with a nod, "remember, the Flame atronach must be summoned with a light tone. Make sure you feel as a fire does. Not rage nor anger but burn brightly and magnificently."

J'Zargo, stepping out first, throws his hands forward and causes a brilliant purple light that spawns a flame atronach. "Who wishes to face J'Zargo's atronach?"

Baldar moved silently behind everyone and put a hand in Rose's back and pushes her forward. She lets out a gasp at the invisible force, eyes narrowing as she peers behind her back with a glare. _Baldar? Was that you?_

He leans over quickly and lets out a soft purr by her ear to let her know he did. Her eyes widen. Oh she's _definitely_ having a few words with him later. Maybe she'll practice throwing a few fireballs at him and innocently claim it's for class.

"Ah, Rose again. Good! Summon your atronach to face J'Zargo's." The teacher beams happily.

"Yes, sir." The blonde maiden nods, determination flickering across her delicate features. She raises her hands, brow furrowing in concentration as she mutters something underneath her breath. A bright flame bursts out of thin air, a ball of fire reaching up and forming into a humanoid shape. Slowly, the form sharpens into something recognizable. A pleased look of satisfaction brightens on her face at the flame atronach which hovers by her side.

The atronachs begin to circle each other before J'Zargo's finally attacks and fires a fire bolt that clips her's in the side. She grunts, quickly bringing up a shield in retaliation. Rose grits her teeth in anger, controlling her atronach to lunge fast, various fireballs one by one. J'Zargo's dodges several before finally getting hit and falling back after repeated blows. An amused smirk slides across her lips, mirth gleaming in her blue eyes. She crosses her arms. The teacher looks pleased.

J'Zargo's atronach dropped to the ground and dissipates and the crowd falls into a hush. The teacher steps forward and clasps his hands. "Good work, both of you. Now, next we will have-"

"No, J'Zargo cannot accept that. He requests a rematch!" The Kahjiit steps up to Rose ready to attack but Baldar is already about to pounce.

"Now, J'Zargo, we can't have that. We only have a few hours before a possible dragon attack." The teacher says with a sad face and by the look of the students, it is their first time hearing of this.

"_What_?" Rose demands, eyes glinting with a mixture of fear. But also anger tinges her expression. "A _dragon_? _Here_? How do you know of this? Why did you not inform us?"

"We thought it would be better to not worry you with this but the Archmage demanded that we inform all our students."

"Bloody right you should have informed us!" Rose storms over towards her teacher, hands clenching, face flushing with irritation. "There is a high possibility that we could die! Our college could get attacked! We're not prepared for a fight with a bloody _dragon_!"

"Rose, go back into the tower." The teacher says but makes it more of a stern demand.

"_No_. I will not _go into the damn tower_." She surprises everyone, usually quiet and obeying and rarely loses her temper with the exception of J'Zargo. But with this sudden defiant streak revealing, no wonder they're startled. "People have a right to decide if they should leave-! The students lives are in danger! The _entire college _is under threat! Do you not care for our safety at all?!"

Baldar walks up and places two fingers in a certain spot on the back of her neck to relax her causing herself to realize what she did. "Rose, remain calm."

She tenses at the feel of his touch and the sound of his voice for a second, then looks up slightly sheepishly at the teacher, who seems more than a little irritated at her outburst. Students mutter among themselves, whispering.

"Professor-" She starts, about to apologise to her elder. He holds up a hand, narrowing eyes piercingly into her gaze. She swallows a lump in her throat, bowing her head.

"Go to the tower." He orders firmly. She opens her mouth, but he clenches his jaw. "_Now_, Rose."

She looks like she wants to argue, but merely nods while lowering her head. The blonde girl storms out of the hall, eyes blazing with increasing anger. Her nails print crescent marks into her skin as she hugs herself. Her head throbs with a headache, her teeth grind against each other. She feels like punching a wall- or her teacher.

Baldar calmly places his hands on her shoulders and guides her back. "Come Rose."

She yanks herself from his grasp. "Get off Baldar! I'm not in the mood."

He releases his invisibility. "Do you want to leave with me?"

She halts in her footsteps, frowning. "I… I do… but I don't."

"Well, if you keep acting like this. It won't be a choice."

"How can I help it? If the teacher will proceed to be an ignorant moron? He hasn't informed the students of a very concerning matter that could harm their lives! It could ruin the college! We're not ready to face an attack! The dragon would destroy everything!" Her voice shakes from fear. "Just like Helgen."

In the time Baldar was about, he had heard of Helgen, it was now that he realized she was a former resident. "You were there...?"

She gives a brief pause as she looks up at him, a haunted look engraving her features. "Yes. I… I watched it _burn _my home. It killed all the people I knew, my friends… it destroyed and ruined everything I grew up with. Bodies went up in flame right in front of me. It was a _ferocious monster._" Tears flow in her eyes as she trembles, voice whispering as she recalls the events. She hasn't talked about it before. "It was a nightmare. My father was trying to get me to safety, but I got separated in the chaos… it was horrible…"

Her eyes darken, she's holding back the gory, traumatic details. "Threat of a dragon isn't something to be taken lightly."

"Young Rose, dragons are nothing to fear. This is the time of the Dragonborn." He says with a reassuring tone and smile.

"You weren't there!" She snaps, shouting at him. She jabs a finger in his chest, watery eyes freely flowing. Her body is shaking. "Your home didn't get destroyed, you didn't _smell _the burning corpses… you aren't constantly wondering if your father is alive or dead… and you didn't look the demon straight in the eye and nearly get roasted into ashes..."

"No, but if did, I would have ran. It's something I am good at." He said with mock pride for his past sins.

She glares at him. "I couldn't run. I was petrified. If it wasn't for this woman that knocked me out of the way- we wouldn't be talking right now." She sniffles, leaning against the wall. "I still have nightmares, you know. I don't know the spell to erase memories- but if I could…"

"You wouldn't." He says, calling her bluff. "Only cowards forget their past."

"Then I am a coward." Rose merely declares. "I want to forget- in fact, if I asked around for a tomb that does that ability, I might get lucky." She nods, as if to confirm with herself. "I can even forget I ever lived in Helgen."

"Rose, I have committed many sins in my time but to forget even one of those I find is a sin worse than them all. To forget means you have done a disservice to whoever you wronged and whoever saved you. It means you do not accept that any of the events that happened there or anyone who helped you… anyone who died. You label them as unworthy of your time. Scars do heal and fade. It is still fresh now. Don't let it dictate you. Make it a are a survivor and a survivor copes and lives."

"A survivor?" She mumbles, then scoffs slightly. " I can't make my cowardice a trophy." She sighs, wiping her watery eyes. "But I guess you are right, I can't let it rule my life… I just wish I could have done something… that the dragon didn't kill all those people… that my father is standing next to me right now." She lets out a sob, biting down on her hand as she struggle not to let it out. "I miss him so much, Baldar- and the worst part? I don't even know if he's _alive_."

"Well, I can see if I can find him." Baldar says as he takes her in close and gives her a hug.

"I want to go with you." She hugs him tighter, clinging to him as if he's her life line. "Do you think I could do that? Pause my learning for a family matter but resume it when I come back? If the college is still standing after the dragon attacks?"

He just continues to hold her. "Very much so."

"Then I will join you." She quietly agrees, suppressing the lump in her throat.

He nods and begins to stand when an Earth-shattering roar came from outside.

Rose freezes, as if ice has suddenly wash over her. Her eyes widen dramatically to the size of plate. She begins to tremble again, but out of hot, white and pure horror. She pales, petrified. She knows what it is. The monster outside.

"Is that a...?" Baldar asks reaching for his bow.

"_Dragon_." Rose whispers, voice soft, words shaking. She unsteadily leans against the wall, looking ready to collapse.

At that moment, seeing Rose so weak, Baldar grew stronger than ever. His hand went back and he pulled the ebony bow off his back. "Rose, stay close. I'll get us out of here."

"I-I can't-!" Her gasps quicken as she struggles to hold herself up, she looks like she's having trouble breathing.

Baldar grabbed her at the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. "Well, good thing I can for the both of us, then."

Rose can't even muster up the strength to argue, so she just grips onto him, attempting to calm her uncontrollable anxiety.

Baldar moves her around so she is clutching his back and makes his way to the window. Stepping out, he looks down and sees blocks of ice floating around in the water so diving isn't an option. Instead, he would have to climb down and jump ledge to ledge. An easy feat if he didn't have Rose on his back.

"Rose, we are going to climb down."

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Rose panics, digging her nails into Baldar's back. "Put me down, put me down, put me down-!"

He doesn't giver her the chance as he jumps down and grabs a ledge eight feet below them. "Sorry, too late to argue. Better just hold on."

Baldar continues to move, climbing down and not taking any risks beyond what he knows will succeed.

Rose pitifully squeaks, clamping her eyes shut as she starts to chant quietly to herself. "Don't drop me. Don't drop me. Don't drop me."

A shadow passes over them and Baldar feels himself dry swallow, hoping the dragon does not see them. "I won't Rose. We need to find your father."

"I swear to the Gods, cat-whore." She clenches her jaw, using threatening him as a distraction from the dire situation. "If you drop me- I will haunt you and skin your fur before selling them to the Daedra!"

Just to mess with her he lets her slip a little bit and catches her. She screams. "Woah, there. Don't want the Bretan dying."

"_Nord_!" She screeches, clawing his fur as she desperately holds on, terrified. "I told you- I'm a bloody _nord_!"

He grunts irritably and glances down seeing that they still have a hundred yards before they will reach the water. "Rose, can you climb yet? I am not wanting to go bald."

"Do I bloody look like I can climb?!" She yells into his sensitive ears. "I can barely move you stupid cat-whore!"

Baldar makes a quick move and bites one of her hands as she reaches for the fur on his neck. "If you do not stop, I will drop you and you can pray to Talos that you hit the water and not the ice."

"Please don't." She sniffles, ignoring the slight sting in her hand. After another thundering cry of the monster gliding through the air, she freezes, then her eyes slowly sweep up to meet the sight of the wild beast. Her heart gallops in her chest at a rapid pace. Her jaw drops and she violently recoils from shock as a fireball blasts near them. She cries out as she slips from the Khajiit, falling.

He looks back and dives back to grab her. They fall through the air for 30 feet and Baldar ends up needing to dig his claws into the cliff face and catch the ledge. He then swings her over so that she can grab the ledge herself.

"Rose, are you alright?" He asks worryingly.

She pants, her shaking hand clenching around him to get a better grip. All she can manage is an uneasy nod.

Baldar looks past her and sees the ground is only forty yards beneath them. "Okay, we just gotta keep moving and make it to the ground. Then, we are safe." It is a lie but Baldar knows she needs to hear it.

She nods again, holding onto him and taking a deep, shuddering breath. The dragon is near. She knows he is lying, but she denies the truth and chooses to pretend to believe him, for her own sake. She temporarily swallows her fear and looks at Baldar, blinking her tears away. "Then let's go."

It's not much longer before they finally reach the ground and they take off running across the icy field. Baldar looks up and around, searching for wherever the dragon was but it seemed to have taken off and left the college ablaze. Around the walls he saw Wizards, moving quickly and firing ice from their hands to combat the flames. From there, the villagers stood at the ledge and looked on to the carnage with aw.

"I don't think you will have any classes for a while Young Rose." Baldar quips and keeps pushing her forward.

Rose doesn't answer, she just keeps her gaze forward. Eyes dark with haunted memories. She stays in silence, head lowering. Her blonde hair closing a curtain around her face, concealing her bitter expression. _I ran away. Again_. _Another home destroyed_.

She glances through the small gaps in her locks, towards Baldar, her dark eyes soften as a soft, solemn sigh escapes her. _At least this time, I'm not alone_.

Baldar makes sure to give her a confident smile, as he sees that she is more than a coward. "Rose, one day you will be able to destroy a dragon with but one fire bolt but until then. You can travel with me."

"It's sweet that you think so, Baldar. But-" Rose starts to say in reply, hugging herself, then she stops suddenly, eyes wide. She whips around, realisation clicking into place on her face. "Oh no…" She then does something unexpected. She starts to sprint in the direction of the chaos they just escaped.

** So, as you can see we are on chapter 6 which means that we have started writing the story again and I am happy to say we are on chapter 11 now and that means five more weeks of this. Horray! R'n'R  
**

**P.S= I'm back in the game ;'3  
Don't worry, I'll protect you all from Spikes's mean-ness of not updating. ~E**

**P.S.S.: She is the one that said I was uploading too fast in the beginning because I wasn't "Giving people enough time to review."**

**P.S.S.S= Oh shush you- in truth, I had writers block XD ~But I'm back baby. And I'm here to stay and give you virtual cookies and sweeties and such. Yum. Diabetes **


	7. Girls and Their Jewelry

**Rose:**

Rose starts to sprint back where they just escaped from. _I can't leave it! Not that!_

"Rose, stop! What are you doing?"

"I left something!" She quickly shouts over her shoulder, tripping over her robes. She stumbles, but then gets back on her feet, wild eyes staring at the chaos as she forces herself to keep going.

Baldar grabs her quickly and pulls her in. "What did you lose?"

"There's- there's no time! I'm going to lose it! I _need_ it!" She tries to yank away, looking desperate, her voice frantic and panicking.

He smacks her across the face causing her to take pause. "What is it? I will go get it."

She ignores the burn in her cheek, looking up at him with anxious eyes. "My mother's necklace… I- It's the last thing I have of her… I… I _need_ to get it!"

"Rose, do you have my dagger?" Baldar asks with an intense look in his eyes.

She lifts her robe up to her leg, snatching a dagger out of the make-shift holster, then straightens and holds it out to him. "I always keep it on me. In case someone like J'zargo saw it… but my mothers necklace is in the library, I left it with the librarian because the chain broke and he offered to fix it for me…" She looks guilty. "I can't believe I forgot."

"You didn't forget it. We were pushed out. Luckily, that is retrievable." He closes her hand around the dagger and pushes it close to her chest. "All you need to do is send an atronach to retrieve it."

Her mouth tightens and she nods, then turns towards the field, muttering something underneath her breath. A ball of flame bursts out of thin air, forming into a humanoid shape made of fire. She stares at it, determination etching across her features as she sends it to go fetch her necklace. It leaves, hovering off to the tower. Her hands clench nervously around the hilt of the dagger, eyes never leaving the last spot she saw the atronach.

"Calm down, it will find your necklace." Baldar said keeping his hand on her shoulder.

"I never met her." She whispers after a moment of silence. "My father raised me by himself- but he always told me about her." Her eyes lower to the ground, glazing over as she enters her memories. "Her kind smile. Warm chocolate eyes. How she made the best stew he has ever tasted. I wish…" she ceases her words, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"That doesn't mean she is gone Rose. There are… methods by which you can talk to her for a short time."

Rose's gaze snaps up to Baldar, eyes glinting. "I… I could speak to her?"

"Yes, I have learned much in my time and I can show you but right now focus on your atronach. The farther away it is, the more focus it needs."

She eagerly nods, a brighter air about her now. "You promise me, Baldar. No matter what- you'll help me speak to her?"

He nods but keeps a stoic face. "So long as you have that dagger, you have my help with anything."

"Why didn't you take it back?" She frowns. "Not that I'm not grateful, but if you stole the dagger back, you'd no longer have to put up with me and deal with…all this." She gestures towards the chaos.

He let out a small chuckle. "It's symbolic. I can take it back at any time but you can know that as long as it is in your possession that I will be there to help you."

Rose looks up at him, staring at him for a moment. Then she nods, a diminutive smile spreading among her lips. But then she sobers, narrowing her eyes in concentration when she can begin to feel the connection between her and the atronach fading. She clenches shut her eyes, head throbbing with a harsh sting as she attempts to keep it going. She releases a small groan of pain. _Bloody hell…_

"What's wrong?"

"The atronach-!" She flinches as a stab of pain explodes inside her head and grabs her temple. "I'm struggling to keep the connection." She inhales and exhales shakily, growing weaker the more it travels away from her. "I'm not used to such a distance."

"Do you know how close she is?"

"Very close. It won't be long, but it's hard to keep it going for so long and so far away." Her fingers clasp themselves tighter on the hilt of the dagger, she grits her teeth, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. "_Come on_…" Her eyes light up. "Got it! It's coming back!"

Sooner or later, the atronach is hovering over towards them. Rose releases a breath in relief, but it suddenly vanishes and the necklace glints from the light in the sky as it drops. Rose's eyes widen in horror as it falls into the icy water. Before she knows what she's doing, she charges forward and dives in after it.

The freezing water slaps her in the face, engulfing her entire body. She almost gasps, but clamps her mouth shut and frantically looks around for the piece of sentimental jewelry, then swims deeper to go after it, struggling with her robes. They limit her agility, the murky water is difficult to see in so she presses her hands together, then creates a wisp of light in the dark. It brightens up the area, she sees her necklace and kicks further down, fighting the exploding in her lungs. Her chest tightens by the time she manages to snatch it. Then she looks up towards the surface as the light fades, leaving her in the dark.

She slices her arms through the water, kicking rapidly. Her lungs feel too tight now. Her movements grow sloppy, slower as her oxygen becomes limited and her limbs grow tired. Something suddenly wraps around her ankle and she screams into the water from alarm, bubbles flying from her lips and shooting up to the surface. Rose forces her mouth shut. She creates another wisp of light then looks down and sees that she got herself tangled in seaweed.

Her arms snap down, yanking on her leg. The seaweed strangely has her in a tight grasp. Her eyes glance up in panic at the surface, worry starting to churn in her stomach. Dread piercing through her. She tries to remain calm, whipping out the dagger from her robes and slicing at the stubborn weed. One lets go. She focuses on the other. Her lungs feel ready to burst. Pain stabs at her chest and she's starting to get dizzy from lack of air. Black spots filling in her vision.

She cuts through the blasted plants and manages to get free, then kicks up, eyes searching everywhere. She can't hold her breath any longer and out of reflex, her mouth opens to gain air. Icy water shoots into her mouth, starting to fill her lungs. Her eyes widen as she starts to choke and suffocate. She's too weak to use any more mana. But she manages to reach the surface.

Rose breaks out in a coughing fit as she loudly gasps for air, limp arms and legs attempting to keep herself up. She slashes the water, struggling to keep up with her weak body. She splutters, still choking on the water that invaded her lungs. For a moment, she's back under, fighting the vicious claws of the water trying to drag her back down.

She opens her mouth, trying to call to Baldar, but more water just enters her lungs. Rose forces her arms and legs to work, pushing up above the surface again. She coughs, trying to move herself forward towards the shore, but sinks again.

A strong hand dives down and grabs her by the collar and it pulls her up. She violently chucks up the water, coughing, gasping and coughing again. "That was dangerous. You shouldn't have done that without checking with me, Young Rose."

Baldar helps her back to shore, she collapses on her knees, still coughing and vomiting up water. Rose feels exhausted, her trembling arms and shaking legs the only thing supporting her. She can't speak right now, too busy trying to regain her breath. A wet web of her golden hair sticks to her face. Clothing soaking, cold and causing her to shiver.

"If we move now we can make Dawnstar by tomorrow afternoon." Baldar said, already helping her up. She stumbles, knees weak. She's barely standing, only just getting her breath back into her lungs.

"Right." She breathlessly says, tripping over her own feet as she struggles to walk. She clutches her necklace in her icy cold, wet hands, holding onto herself as she violently shivers.

Baldar reaches into his pack and pulls out a fresh set of… Adept Robes? "Here, I found these in my travels."

"Thank you Baldar, but I can hardly move my toes as it is." She answers, voice unsteady. She flexes her stiff fingers, only managing to twitch them. Speaking of her toes, she can hardly feel them, let alone move them. "I'll change when we reach Dawnstar or a camp or something."

"Rose, you cannot stay in soaking wet cloth in this weather. Now, do I have to change you or shall I turn around and you can change in some rocks over at the cliff side?"

"Baldar." She clenches her jaw stubbornly, trying to suppress her shivering. A faint cloud huffs out of her blue turning lips. "I'm fine like this. Let's just go." She doesn't want to stay in Winterhold any longer, not with the horrible carnage going on.

Baldar lets out a sigh and barely taps her on the front of her collar bone. Quickly, a sense of relaxation falls over her and her eyes droop. Within seconds, she passes out only to awake to Baldar carrying her bridal style through a snowy forest. A distinct lack of wetness in her clothes.

"What the…?" Rose mutters groggily, feeling fur against her cheek. She looks up, narrowing her blurry vision at the cat-whore carrying her. "What happened...?"

"I have been carrying you for the last nine hours."

She jumps in alarm, eyes widening as she flails her arms dramatically, then she grips onto her neck when she almost falls. "You knocked me out?!"

"No, every Bret-er... Nord has a small cluster of veins that one tap can slow the pulse of and cause a forced sleep. Completely different than hitting you over the head."

"You still put me to sleep against my will!"

"Young Rose, I swear it was only for your protection and ease. You did not want to dress in warm, dry clothes and hypothermia would have set in quick so I… Protected you."

"I would have been fine! I told you I would have been fine!" She grits her teeth in frustration. "Remember? Nords have a strong resistance to the cold. They _adapt_."

"You don't." Baldar said finally getting annoyed at her behavior. "I say it before and I say it again. You are a half-breed. You are Nord but also Bretan. More so Bretan. And you would have died by now if I had not taken matters into my own hands. Believe what you want but I saved you and I know it."

"Just what makes you think I couldn't save myself? What makes you think I'm Bretan at all?!" She angrily starts, her normal healthy flush back in her cheeks. "My father _wouldn't _lie to me!"

"We will see." He says as he takes off into the woods.

"Put me down!" She demands, struggling against him. "I can walk!"

She cries out in shock when he drops her off to the side in a pile of snow so she doesn't hurt herself but the message is clear. "Listen to me and you will survive. If you continue to be stubborn then you will surely die."

Rose stands, wobbles for a minute and then glares at him, body shivering slightly. She hugs herself, grinding her teeth. _So cold_, she thinks to herself, but refuses to admit it out loud. "Why in the hells did you do that for?! I said put me down- not throw me like I'm a sack of _potatoes_!"

He doesn't say anything and just keeps walking. She huffs, air exhaling like a provoked bull and swallows her hurt pride, storming ahead of him while clenching her fists by her sides, not allowing herself to reveal that she's cold, even if it is a bit obvious from her small shivering.

"Come Rose, keep up." Baldar jokes.

She spins around, poking him in the chest. "Why do you think I'm Bretan so much? Hm? I've always been told I look like my mother. Fair skin- fair hair! People say she was a typical, pure-blood _Nord_." It's bothering her. That maybe her father did lie- but that's not true, he always told her everything and vice versa. Baldar is just being Baldar- an annoying cat-whore that likes to jest and tease her.

"Look at yourself in the mirror. You have much softer features as if you have been carved of wood and not stone."

"Well- maybe I just look different." She unconfidently defends, looking slightly uncertain of herself. "I… I'm nord. Like my father has always told me." She says it more to herself now, as if to confirm it. "I'm _nord_. That's all I will ever be."

"Too bad, Nords are not known for their ability to collaborate and be liked."

"Then I must be." She crosses her arms to give herself some warmth, turning her back to the khajiit. "I'm not easily liked. All the mages at Winterhold didn't like me. Most of the teachers didn't like me either."

"Is it because you are a Nord or because you want to be one? You don't seem to want to be like this."

"Because if…" she doesn't finish and tightens her lips into a scowl, she grits her teeth, bitterly dismissing him. "Forget it. Forget the whole conversation."

"What conversation?"

Rose's head turns to the side, to where he is, and she stays silent before turning her gaze back to the ground. After a few more moments of silence, Rose keeps bursting sighs and tiny strained noises every few seconds, hands clenching and unclenching. Expression twisting into something uncomfortable. Her mouth opens and closes. Eye brows furrowing. Mouth scowling as if she just gulped down a lot of lemons all at once. She's trying to say something, but can't seem to find words.

"Speak like the brilliant rose you are."

She looks a little frustrated, but lowers her gaze and mumbles something, but it's inaudible.

"SPEAK!"

She swallows her pride, then sighs once more. "I said I'm sorry for being so difficult sometimes…" Her gaze averts from his, guilt etching on her features. "-and thank you for saving my life… again. And for carrying me, you didn't have to do that."

Baldar nods his head and continues to walk. "Not a problem."

After around five minutes of walking, she says, "Balder?"

"Yes?" He says still slightly annoyed.

"I really am sorry." She looks like a guilty pup. "If you want to stop following me, I'd understand- after all the trouble I put you through. I could find my father by myself."

"No, no you could not."

"No, _really_. I could try out this clairvoyance tomb I absorbed." She states. "I absorbed it before you came to my room and we were forced to leave. Apparently it's quite handy. Helps you get to where you need to go. Like a compass of sorts."

"No, we have established your skills with people aren't… adequate." He turns to her with a smile. "You need a khajiit protector to keep you safe."

"Adequate?" She muses. "Like that man at the inn?" Her features darken at the thought of him. A disturbing drunk, that's all he was. Not the nice gentleman she thought.

"Yes, until you can fend for yourself, I guess you are stuck with me."

The more she thinks about it- strangely enough, she can't help the small smile. At least she will have a friend among her journey. Trying to find her father by herself doesn't seem to be an appealing thought after all.

Rose suddenly remembers something. She skids to a halt, hand coiling tightly around Baldar's wrist. Her eyes are wide, glinting. "Wait- Baldar! You said I could communicate with my mother?"

"We will need… equipment for that."

"Yes! _Anything_! What do we need? We'll do that first before finding my father." She declares. "If I did it around him, he wouldn't be comfortable and would immediately refuse. He never liked magic. Always punished me with chores if I even mentioned it."

"My house should be around here. Once there I believe that ren's enchanting room shall suffice." He says turning onto a rough path.

"Then let's go-! there's no time to lose." Rose rushes in front of him.

"Calm down, Rose. It will take several days for you to prepare."

"I haven't got several days!" She says impatiently, wrapping her fingers around his shirt, she pulls him along. "Come on, lead the way!"

"Rose, you do. This dragon crisis isn't going to be ending anytime soon and until then the college will undoubtedly be closed until it is finished. Hopefully, Ren hasn't had too much trouble with barbarians and thieves since it started."

"Ren?" She inquires, a look of confusion flickering on her face.

"My house karl. He is fairly decent at his job of protecting my house and keeping it safe. That being said, don't talk to any of the women that may be inside or leaving my house." He takes the lead with gusto and off down the path.

"Is he another cat-whore?" She scoffs, crossing her arms under her chest, across her stomach.

"No, he pays the women. I merely seduce them. Also, he's an-" Baldar is tackled off to the side and an argonian stands above him with an axe ready.

"Hault, or I shall be forced to protect my employers housing." The argonian chouted, draped in chitin armor.

Suddenly, a violent wave of water forces him off Baldar and pushes him to the ground over to the side. Rose rushes forward, holding up a hand- lightning sparking between her fingers in the other. She glares at the argonian, about to throw a bolt of lightning.

Baldar is up before she can and grabs her hand. "No, that is Ren."

"Baldar?" The soaking Argocian asks, obviously unable to tell with Baldar wearing his hood.

He takes off the hood with a nod. "Yes, now get your ass up and get moving. We are trying to reach the house."

Ren is up quickly and kneels. "I apologize Thane. I will be more careful who I attack from now on." His eyes flick to the left and he caught sight of Rose. "And why have you brought a human with you? Finding your tastes changing?"

Baldar looks at her quickly and she swears he's blushing. "Get your ass moving Ren!"

"Great- stuck with a lizard-whore _and_ a cat-whore." Rose mutters bitterly, shaking her head and rubbing her temples.

The lizard smiles at her words as he stands and begins to walk,. "You know, for one that does not wish it. You seem to be very obsessed with whores, m'lady."


End file.
